One
by Kith Kani
Summary: Chloe is in danger and Jack is the only one who will stand by her. A Chloe & Jack story!
1. Hour 01

**Title:** One

**By:** Kith Kani

**Rated:** R

**Summary:** Chloe is in danger and Jack is the only one who will stand by her.

**Disclaimer:** All characters within the 24 'verse do not belong to us. Only our own characters (which are obvious) do. Please don't sue us, Fox. Your empire already makes enough money and we have none. Please do not take any part or portion of this writing without expressed permission. If you would like to post this fic, please contact us at nicole. Notes: This story is written by two people, Kith and Kani, who each write an hour, alternatively. The first is by Kani, the second by Kith and so on. We are rabid Chlackers (Chloe + Jack Chlack) so this is a Chlack fic. Meaning, there's love and junk and, oh yeah, sex but like any realistic situation, there is a progression to that point. So we'll get there. But have patience. )

Hope you enjoy!

* * *

**Hour 01**

**10:00:00**

Helen's head lifted from her book when the doorbell rang throughout her house. Curiously, she stood yet the promise of a visitor quickened her steps to the door. She peered out of the peek hole and a familiar face waited behind it. Drawing the door open, she took him in: his crisp, tailored suit screamed of expense and his broad shoulders and composure showed a certain maturity she had not seen in him before.

"David?"

"Helen," he smiled warmly. "How are you?"

"I'm fine. This is an unexpected surprise. Please, come in."

He passed the threshold and inspected the foyer, finding little had changed in the woman's home.

"What brings you here?" she politely asked, bewildered at his presence.

"I had to stop by and see you," he explained.

"Oh?" she hummed, leading them into the living room. "What for?"

When she turned, his arm rose and a gun with silencer faced her. "I need your help," he replied. His index tightened in two brisk jerks and the precise hollows in her forehead swiftly poured crimson.

The body tumbled to the ground and David returned the pistol to the back of his trousers. He cleaned the sweat from his palms on his pants with a distasteful wipe as he glimpsed at the lifeless body, staring blankly into nothingness.

With one final glance at the house, he turned and exited.

* * *

**10:12 AM**

"Ms. O'Brian, could you explain the decryption code you created yesterday again? Is it operating on server three or four?"

Chloe's hard exhale accompanied her rolled eyes. She whirled in her swivel chair to the opening of her cubicle where the boy stood.

"I explained it yesterday. Are you deaf or just stupid?"

The boy remained, frozen with indecision as to how to answer his superior. He did not respond, deciding instead to hurry away from her irritated glare.

Overhearing the exchange, Ronald Jones approached her work station. "May I have a word with you, Chloe?"

She reluctantly followed him to his corner office and stood before him, her arms crossed expectantly.

"We hired you here at Initech because your extensive experience and knowledge was, frankly, something we couldn't pass up. But your attitude toward your coworkers and employees is becoming a serious issue."

"I can't help it if Bryan's a moron," she replied.

"You can, actually," he snapped. "He's a trainee."

"It's a waste of time."

"No, it's not," he emphasized. "Lana said you hurt her feelings the other day."

"Her what?" Chloe said with repulsion.

"Her feelings."

"What a baby," she muttered.

"The point is, you don't work for the government anymore, Ms. O'Brian," he stated even as she continued to roll her eyes away. "Things are different in the commercial world. And I say you're going to start treating your coworkers better or there's going to be a problem."

She waited for his dismissal then raised her brows expectantly. "Can I go now?"

"Yes," he sighed at her stubborn tone.

Chloe charged to her desk and locked her computer before she swiped up her purse and started out. Her cubicle neighbor saw her retreat and leaned back to view her through his cubicle.

"Where are you going?"

"Early lunch," she snapped.

"It's only ten!"

She ignored him and continued out the door marked with the big red letters, Exit.

* * *

**10:31 AM**

Glaring at the cable news channel above the café, Chloe stabbed at the muffin she purchased along with her coffee then made sure her cell phone was still turned off to allow maximum privacy. The TV news was never _really_ up to date. That kind of news was confidential. A pang of regret raced through her and she quickly pushed it aside as she had, frequently, over the past two years since she left CTU.

Every morning she woke up to go to her 9 to 5, she convinced herself it would get better the next day. She reminded herself that she had made a decision to leave that life – that it wasn't worth the risk every day – and she would not budge in her choice. She couldn't.

Satisfied with her usual reasoning – car explosions, snipers and traitorous agents – she collected her things and returned to Initech. She parked in her usual spot and the name plate on the concrete wall of the parking garage looked especially mocking to her this morning.

She scowled as she hit the lock button on her remote and began off. A quiet voice pierced through the garage and she whipped around.

"Chloe!"

She edged closer and he appeared from behind the car next to hers.

"David?"

"Shh!" he neared and met her halfway. She noticed he looked disheveled; his untucked shirt looked dirty and he looked slightly panicked.

"What are you doing here?" she demanded.

"I need your help," he replied, his eyes like saucers in their plea.

"What's going on?"

"Can you let me explain in the car? I can't be out in the open like this."

Chloe hesitated yet the state of him persuaded her. "Yeah," she sighed and unlocked her vehicle. The two slid in and she began driving. When they were a safe distance from her building, she spoke. "So what is it? What's wrong with you?"

"You were the only person I could think of to come to. Who isn't still in the Agency, I mean."

"What's going on?"

"I've been undercover for the past two years with Patrick Begich. He thought I was a wealthy investor interested in his company."

"What's his company?"

"He's the CEO of Paragon Industries. I was undercover to investigate a tip we had that he was selling the weapons his company manufactures to insurgent terrorist groups in the Middle East."

"Paragon? Don't they have the defense department contract?"

"Yes, which means the insurgents would have had access to the same arsenal our military is equipped with. Or worse, that they'd gain possession of a deadlier weapon."

Fleeting thoughts of nuclear warheads ran through Chloe's mind. "So what happened?" she asked.

"I found out Begich was dirty; not only was he selling to the terrorists, but he was laundering money from his billion dollar operation into his own personal accounts."

"So? You work for the CIA, David; why didn't you just go to them?"

"Because my cover was blown by someone _in_ the CIA!" he emphasized with articulation. "Begich was tipped off. I don't know by whom yet. But since it was blown, I've been shot at half a dozen times."

Only Chloe's perpetually furrowed brow answered him. Eventually she responded. "So what are you going to do now?"

"I don't know yet," he sighed, watching the passing scenery through the passenger window. "I knew I could come to you because you're not in any agency anymore."

"Yeah," she muttered sourly. "So you'd just come to me and I'd do what?"

"Help me," he pleaded with exasperation. "Hide or run or whatever."

"David, there's nothing I can do that you can't. We did the same job at the CIA, remember?"

"Don't patronize me, Chloe; you know I could never do what you do," he replied. "It's why I went into field ops; I would never reach the level you could. You're special."

Not one to argue a compliment, she remained silent and he continued to peer out the window.

"I just have to lay low for a little bit."

Chloe glanced in her rear view mirror to see a dark SUV approaching from behind at an alarming speed.

"David?" she alerted him with unease. He spun in his chair to see the truck which now got so close, it threatened to hit them.

"Chloe, go faster!" David instructed as he pulled a gun from the back of his trousers. She complied yet a crack through the back window of her car drew a startled shriek from her. David turned, leaning out the passenger window and aiming back at the truck as Chloe weaved through the traffic, recklessly. He fired several shots in the direction of the truck and finally made contact.

Chloe noticed the vehicle swerve slightly then turn roughly down a side street, ending its pursuit.

"Is he gone?" she asked as David returned to his seat, checking his ammunition cartridge.

"I think so. We need to ditch your car and find somewhere safe."

* * *

**10:57 AM**

Lydia tapped in the extension on her phone, glancing inside the transparent office to watch her boss answer the line.

"Yes?"

"Sir, I have an Agent Sullivan from the CIA on the line with an urgent APB that his division insisted we were alerted of."

"Put him through," he murmured and waited to hear the line click over. "This is Director Bauer."

"Mr. Bauer, this is Agent Sullivan with the Los Angeles CIA division. Our unit has just discovered the whereabouts of an agent that has gone rogue within our department. His name is David Emerson. Security cameras within LAX picked him up arriving yesterday. His last assignment was undercover work at the weapons facility, Paragon; we believe he plans to acquire some of these weapons and use them for terrorist purposes which is why we wanted to inform your department."

"Who is leading the investigation in apprehending Emerson?" Jack asked.

"For now, the CIA. However, the Defense Secretary is petitioning for CTU to take over the investigation. We have posted our agents at hot spots in the city that we think Agent Emerson may frequent. We've also sent a team over to Chloe O'Brian's residence to secure Ms. O'Brian and run surveillance from her home."

Jack faltered and faced the speakerphone with confusion. "I'm sorry, what? Why are you watching Agent- uh, Ms. O'Brian's house?"

Sullivan paused as well then spoke. "Uh, it's standard procedure, sir, when one spouse becomes a suspect to examine the other."

"One what?" he snapped.

"Spouse, sir. David Emerson is Chloe O'Brian's husband."

**11:00:00**

…


	2. Hour 02

* * *

**11:00:00**

Jack only hesitated for a moment after ending the call. He pushed the transfer button connecting him to one of the many interns below.

"Ms.Fetters?"

"Yes, Director Bauer?"

"I need you to run a full background check on a David Emerson."

"Yes, sir."

Jack stared out of his office, a million thoughts scattered in his brain. The main thought being that he should be out there doing something to help the situation, not sitting here behind a desk in an office. He couldn't help but think he should have been more supportive of Chloe leaving CTU, helping her find a better job than where she had ended up. She had always been there for him in her awkward way. The following year she had even sent him a Christmas card.

The intercom came to life after what seemed like hours.

"Director Bauer? I have that background check you wanted. There's also a security issue I think you should be alerted to."

"What is it?"

"It seems someone is attempting to hack into Paragon's security system."

"Can it be tracked?"

"I'm not sure… I'm going to need a few minutes but I think I can pinpoint the source and block their access."

"Do the best you can, keep me updated."

Jack ended the call.

* * *

**11:16 AM**

David looked around with disgust while Chloe worked at the small computer. They had left Chloe's car in a gas station parking lot and walked to a nearby apartment complex. A friend of Chloe's who had supplied her with high-end technology lived there. At the moment the friend was on a house call. David dusted off the screen as Chloe worked.

"Are you sure this access point is secure?"

"Look, this is the only place I could think of okay? If you don't really want me to help you just say so."

David gave Chloe a stern glare. As much as he hated to admit it, he needed her to get the information without suspicion from CTU.

"I'm sorry, Chloe. I just don't want them to find us here."

"I've got a schematic of Paragon's main complex and some entry codes. There should be some security access points. I should be able to hack into them and then I'll be able to manipulate them from any remote location. Once I get through those I should be able to retrieve all the files on Begich's financial dealings within Paragon as well as all of his own personal files. It'll just take me a few more minutes."

"I don't know if this is going to work; getting the evidence from Paragon to clear my name is all well and good but it's still a matter of who we're going to take it to. The CIA is compromised and they could have someone on the inside at CTU too. There's no telling how far up this goes."

"I have people I trust," she stated, thinking of one in particular.

He watched her leave that thought unspoken then murmured, "Okay. I wanted to thank you, Chloe. You really don't know how much this means to me."

Chloe looked away. She wondered if CTU had detected her presence yet. Probably not, considering the new interns there when she left. She had half considered staying only because most of them looked as if they had never heard of encrypting data much less maintaining security scripts for restricted access to networking systems.

There was a jingle of keys before the door came open.

"What the… Chloe? Is that you? How the hell did you get in here?"

Chloe looked at her friend and then at David who had quickly stepped out of sight at the sound of the door opening.

"Hey, Vik… I remembered where you kept your spare key. I just needed to do a few things for a friend… you don't mind do you?"

Vik closed the door and sat down on his old beat up sofa.

"Hey, no problem. I'm glad you came by. It's been awhile. Don't tell me you're still at that crap job, what was it again? Initech?"

Chloe gave a nervous laugh. She was debating on when to announce David's presence when he stepped out of the shadows. Viktor jumped with the sudden addition of an ominous stranger in his home.

"Whoa, man! Who the _fuck _are you?"

David ignored Vik and stood by Chloe, obscuring Vik's view of the screen.

"How are you doing on those security points?"

"I've almost got it. Wait... It looks like they've discovered my trail. I'll have to find another way in to get the rest."

"Wait a second…," Vik trailed. "What exactly are you doing? I can't get busted again. If it's something illegal you're gonna have to-"

One swift motion and David's gun was squarely in Vik's face cocked and ready to fire.

"Shut up, Vik."

Chloe stopped what she was doing and stared wide-eyed at David.

"Keep working, Chloe… We don't have a lot of time."

* * *

**11:42 AM**

Jack scanned David Emerson's profile. There was nothing out of the ordinary. David had attended Davis with Chloe, complete with the same degree, a Bachelor of Science in Computer Science. They had married soon after and both had been recruited to the CIA in D.C. About a year later they had divorced and Chloe had been hired by CTU in L.A. That's when they had lost track of Emerson's whereabouts after he had taken an undercover mission to investigate a weapon's facility called Paragon.

"Director Bauer?"

"Yes, what have you got?"

"I have a location on the origin of the security breach. It seems to be coming from an apartment complex near Brentwood from a residence registered to a Mr. Viktor Scheuster. He's been arrested a few times before for hacking into government files."

"Good work. What information is Scheuster attempting to access?"

"Mainly information about Paragon's financial records. When he entered Paragon's system it tripped off a security alert that notified our systems as well. It looks like he managed to retrieve some data on schematics and a few access codes before I could stop the feed."

"Thank you, Ms.Fetters. I'll have Curtis check into it."

Jack knew this was the lead he had been looking for. Viktor had to be working for Emerson. A thorough interrogation would get them information they needed about the location of Emerson and what he was trying to achieve.

Until then, he would have to wait. There was nothing more he could do.

* * *

**11:52 AM**

"I've almost got it."

Chloe nervously tapped at the keyboard, retrieving as much data as she possibly could before her alternate route was blocked.

There was a knock at the door and then a yell.

"Viktor Scheuster! This is the Los Angeles CTU! Open up right now!"

David backed away from Viktor, gun still aimed between his eyes.

"Chloe, what is CTU doing here!"

"I don't know, I guess they must have tracked my IP somehow… I thought your system was secure Viktor. You should really work on upgrading the security masking codes and encryption files on your system, I think they're out of date."

Another yell broke the momentary silence.

"Mr.Scheuster, we know you're in there!"

David grabbed Chloe's arm pulling her abruptly from the desk.

"We've got to go out the back. Viktor, answer the door."

"No way. I'm going with you."

"No... you're not."

Before he could argue, David fired two rounds behind Viktor at the front door and shoved Chloe through the open sliding glass door taking cover and following immediately behind her.

The door flew open and the two agents returned fire at the suspect.

Viktor raised his hands in the air as bullets riddled his body, knocking him back. He fell over the sofa and to the ground with a heavy thud.

**12:00:00**

…


	3. Hour 03

**12:00:00**

"What were you able to access from Paragon?" David asked as he sped through traffic to merge onto the freeway.

"Not much," she admitted. "Look, David, if you just go into CTU I know someone who can help you. You can trust him."

"Were you just there five minutes ago? CTU is gunning for us!" he snapped. She fell silent, struggling for a logical explanation to CTU's aggressive action. "And it's not just me now, Chloe. They know you're with me and they've probably figured out that I've confided in you; whoever is after me will try to eliminate you too."

She stared at the dashboard firmly as he continued. "We just need that evidence from Paragon if we want to get out of this. It's the only thing that can clear us now."

"I could only get through the first layer of security with the time I had," she replied. "There should only be one more layer; that's the one most likely to contain his personal, confidential data. I just need more time to get in."

"Then we'll find somewhere more secure," he murmured. "Your friend's house just won't cut it."

"I didn't know where else to go," she defended.

"I know a place," David said succinctly. After a moment of silence, he glanced over at her and the worry the clearly preoccupied her mind. "Hey. We'll be all right."

Chloe wasn't sure she believed him.

* * *

**12:07 PM**

Jack descended the stairs from his office as Curtis approached, briskly. "Jack. The team intercepted the suspect-"

"Emerson?"

"Schuester. Shots were fired before they could enter and they returned fire. He was killed but the team leader found no gun on him."

"Damnit," Jack muttered. "What about Emerson and Chloe? Did they find anything in the apartment?"

"It looks like it was the terminal being used to hack into Paragon but the team hasn't found any evidence that it was Schuester himself behind it," Curtis explained. "Jack, Schuester was a friend of _Chloe's_. I don't think he was Emerson's contact."

Jack hesitated in thought – that it was Chloe orchestrating the illegal activities they were tracking – then he dismissed it just as quickly.

"What else?" he continued.

"Jack, our people were able to identify a personal marker of Chloe's on the trail she left going into Paragon. It was **her** breaking into their mainframe," Curtis insisted.

"Then she had a legitimate reason or she's being coerced; who knows," Jack snapped, tersely. "Until we find her and Emerson, we don't know."

Curtis watched with trepidation as Jack departed.

* * *

**12:25 PM**

Chloe inspected the run down warehouse as their car pulled near. "Where are we?"

David shifted the car into park, responding, "It's one of my emergency spots; I try not to use it often."

"Emergency spot for what?" she asked, taking in the dank isolation of the building.

"For situations like this," he replied, simply.

They entered the warehouse and she followed him to an office that stood surprisingly cleaner than the remaining dusty lot. From a metal cabinet, he began moving various hardware to the desk.

"It will just take a minute to set up," he informed her as she crossed her arms to busy them.

"Good," she stated quickly. "Then we can just get the data and take it into CTU."

David slowed while assembling the hardware and met Chloe's eyes steadily. "We can get the data, but I can't go into CTU. I'll send it in anonymously or something but I'm not going to risk going into any of those places again."

"What are you talking about?" she said, her tone rising with irritation.

"Chloe, they tried to kill me! They're trying to kill you!"

"CTU isn't trying to kill you! They're just trying to bring you in right now because they've got the wrong idea. Once you take this evidence to them, you'll be free."

"Free from CTU and the CIA, yes. But not from the people that are behind all of this: Begich has friends who are going to be just as aversely affected by me turning him in. This won't stop _them_ from coming after me."

"So what's your plan? Run forever?" she sarcastically remarked.

"I _have_ to disappear, Chloe. I'm a danger to anyone I'm around now and I already regret bringing you into this." She watched the sincerity in his gaze and let her own fall away, not comfortable with the private moment. He righted himself from the look as well and quietly murmured, "Let me just finish putting this together."

* * *

**12:32 PM**

Carl peeked curiously in the backdoor, calling out his neighbor's name while edging in. "I thought we were going to play cards this morning," he announced as an explanation for his arrival. "You didn't forget."

She never forgot. Though the eternally calm house answered him, he ventured in, calling her name again. "I bought muffins at that bakery you like."

His steps grew bolder as the empty kitchen, dining and drawing room increased his unease. "Helen," he called with greater urgency until he slowed to a stop within the foyer. From there he could see her body lying on the ground, her leg twisted awkwardly aside and her arm extended haphazardly.

With an irresistible, morbid fascination – the same kind that turned people's heads at car wrecks – he edged forward to view the whole of her corpse, discovering the caverns in her forehead. He breathed finally, "Helen?"

* * *

**12:35 PM**

"So why did you quit CTU?" David asked as he began powering up. "We didn't really keep in touch after the divorce and all."

She glanced up under a hooded brow at the mention of their ill-fated marriage but answered anyway. "I got tired of almost dying."

David's eyes remained on the hardware he was piecing together but they widened slightly in a gentle 'whoops' expression. "I guess I kind of ruined your day, huh?"

"Pretty much," she remarked. He watched her as she continued to avoid his eyes and he went on with a tiny smirk.

"You know, despite what you say, Chloe, you were always exceptional at what you did. And you handled the pressure. I honestly think you thrived on it."

"Well, I guess I didn't because I quit," she snapped.

"So how have things been going since you quit?" he inquired with a tone that suggested he already knew the answer. She answered him with a glare and he sighed. "That was our problem, Chloe. You never opened up to me, no matter how many years we were together."

"Oh yeah? I thought our problem was you sleeping with other women."

David stayed silent and kept his eyes directly on his hands. He intoned lightly, "Yeah, it was." Chloe stared at the desk, trying to suppress her old feelings of anger. "I don't even know who I was back then," he noted. "But it's a waste of time to tell you I'm sorry again, even after all this time."

"Yeah, it is," she retorted, almost unable to stop herself from the barb. He merely glanced at her in agreement and she quieted.

After a lengthy pause, he began calmly. "Look, I don't know what I'm going to do, exactly, but I know I'm getting out of the States." He met her eyes soundly. "Just for a little while, at least."

When she did not verbally respond, he dared to go on. "You could come with me."

"What?" she snapped.

"Could keep me company," he jested yet at the sight of her serious expression, he dropped the levity. "Just to be safe."

Chloe watched his eyes fall away from hers almost as though afraid of rejection and she quieted, awkwardly.

"Anyway," he murmured. "Something to think about. I've got to grab a piece of hardware in the storage room. I'll be right back."

* * *

**12:44 PM**

"What have you got?" Jack asked as he approached the monitors Curtis stood at.

"We've scanned the traffic cameras in a five block area around Schuester's house and came up with this." Curtis magnified the windshield of a dark car that started to pass through a green light. He froze the screen then increased the resolution for a clearer picture. The dark but distinct contours of David Emerson's face appeared behind the wheel.

"From this angle we can't make out this person in the car with him," Curtis murmured, "But we can track the car to the next traffic cam for a better shot."

The computer jumped to the next camera feed and fast forwarded until the same dark car pulled forward. When he cleared the image again, this time the passenger was unmistakable.

Jack's face fell slightly and he murmured in confusion, "Chloe."

* * *

**12:49 PM**

She riffled through her pocket nervously and realized, suddenly, her cell phone was settled at the bottom. She withdrew it promptly and turned on the device, remembering she had shut it off at the coffee shop for more privacy. Yet as she stood in the quiet, private moment with a means to connect with the outside world, she hesitated. What if they already had her phone tapped?

The shuffling of footsteps alerted her of David's approach and she shoved the phone back into her pocket.

"This should be it," he announced, holding up the hardware. He slowed, however, and Chloe immediately noticed the sound of a car stopping outside as well. She looked to him for direction and he tossed the hardware down, grabbing her hand. "Come on!"

The men appeared instantly at the doors and began firing as David pulled her further into the warehouse. He crouched behind a heavy desk, instructing her, "Stay here."

"What!" she yelled between the deafening gun fire. He turned and ran from her hiding spot, soon disappearing. Chloe's heart pounded within her; the gun fire seemed to draw louder, closer. Suddenly an unfamiliar sound broke through the cacophony and she realized it was her cell phone. She yanked it from her pocket, yelling inside, "Hello?"

"Chloe!" Jack's voice sent a wave of relief through her. "Where are you?"

A shot hit the wall just near her and she crouched together even tighter. "I can't really talk right now, Jack!"

"Chloe, listen to me! David Emerson is trying to break into Paragon! You need to get away from him and get here, to CTU!"

But Chloe only heard as far as 'David'. Her phone began breaking up and she strained to hear more.

"Jack? My phone's dying!"

"Where are you?" he said, succinctly.

She began to answer but looked at the phone to see the light had gone out and it was, indeed, dead. When David suddenly slid next to her, she dropped the phone aside and noticed his new gun firmly in hand. He snapped up, shooting at the men and the gunfire got more scattered.

She unexpectedly noticed one approaching from behind and she gripped his sleeve. "David!"

He spun around but the man shot quickly, hitting David in his arm and causing him to stumble back. Chloe saw the blood beginning to seep out of his shirt almost instantly but the man still neared, gun drawn. She quickly picked up the weapon and fired directly at him. The man fell back from the multiple hits and she slowed with surprise at her own unexpected reaction.

Realizing the gunfire had stopped and he was the last of the thugs, she dropped the gun, kneeling over David as he sat propped up against the desk.

He looked over her and murmured, "Are you okay?"

"I'm fine," she answered, finding his sleeve half covered in blood. "I'm going to put pressure on it, okay?"

"Yeah," he exhaled. "It just grazed me."

"It's bleeding a lot," she noted with worry.

"It'll be fine," David said then looked up at her. "You sure you're okay?"

His arm shook lightly beneath her hand and the blood was beginning to run between her fingers. She clenched his arm tighter to stop it then met his concerned eyes and replied, "Yeah."

* * *

**12:58 PM**

"Jack!" Curtis entered his office without invitation, seeing him battling with the phone.

"What?" he snapped.

"We just got an alert from local LAPD. A man found his neighbor shot dead in her home this morning. The man identified a blue Taurus like the one we saw David Emerson driving on the traffic cams at the neighbor's house this morning."

"So? A lot of people have blue cars. What's the connection?"

"The neighbor," Curtis replied, regretfully. "Her name was Helen O'Brian. It's Chloe's mother."

Jack felt an gathering dread in the pit of his stomach and realized Chloe was in more danger than he had imagined.

* * *

**1:00:00**

**…**


	4. Hour 04

**

* * *

****1:00**

Chloe sat next to David on the floor, gripping his arm, her hands covered and sticky with blood. She stared in a daze at the dead thug nearby that she had shot only moments ago.

"You can let go now, I'll take care of it." David said.

Chloe jerked in surprise, causing David to wince in pain as she released her hands from his bicep.

"Right," Chloe murmured, "I guess we should change locations again since whoever is after you knows we're here."

"We don't have time for that." David snapped, "You'll have to retrieve the information here. We can't afford to lose our advantage."

Chloe sat silent, glancing quickly at the man she had gunned down to protect David and herself, then glanced at the hardware that been discarded an instant before the fire fight had begun. She moved to retrieve it, brushing past David in the process. He was in the process of dressing his wound, but grabbed her arm as she walked by, stopping her where she stood.

"Wait. You should wash your hands before you do that. Blood is a bitch to clean off of anything."

Chloe paused at the awkward suggestion, sensing by his tone that it was more of an order. She gave him a confused look and turned to go find a wash room.

* * *

**1:22**

The phone rang only once. Jack picked up the handset and spoke into it quickly.

"Bauer."

"Director Bauer, this is Agent Don Wright with special ops for the CIA. We're going to need your complete cooperation."

"I'm listening." Jack answered.

"We understand that you've been in contact with the suspect –"

"No, I haven't spoken with Emerson." Jack cut in.

Don paused, hesitating to go on. "I'm … sorry, Director Bauer. We had reason to believe that you had spoken with Ms. O'Brian less than an hour ago."

"Chloe? She's not a suspect. She's a victim, if anything, in all of this. I was trying to locate her." Jack stated adamantly.

Agent Wright paused once more not sure how to continue the conversation. "I'm sure you realize, Director, that Ms. O'Brian was completely and undeniably the suspect who was caught attempting to access restricted files from Paragon Industries and because of that she was directly responsible for the death of Viktor Schuester, an innocent bystander."

Jack gripped the phone tighter, his knuckles turning white from the pressure. He wanted to hit something while listening to the agent on the phone unemotionally painting the picture of Chloe's guilt and supplying evidence that concluded only what Jack knew was completely wrong.

"Look, Agent Wright," Jack said, "I've known Ms. O'Brian for a long time now. She would never do something like this intentionally. She is in the custody of Mr. Emerson and as far as I'm concerned she's innocent. I'll agree that apprehending Emerson is our main priority but I will not allow you to assume Ms. O'Brian is willingly a suspect in this matter."

Agent Wright answered Jack as calmly as he was capable, "It would be irresponsible to disregard the threat of Ms. O'Brian in this case. Our main objective is to locate and apprehend _both_ Mr. Emerson and Ms. O'Brian. If that is all, Mr.Bauer."

"Yes," he answered with a guttural tone.

Don threw in one last barb, "I'll be contacting Division Director Weston to update him on the situation. Be prepared to receive a call from him soon."

A crisp click signaled that the call had been ended.

* * *

**1:38**

Tapping noises emanated from the dank abandoned office in the warehouse as Chloe worked on the small laptop David had provided her. She was almost to the second layer of security, her face clenched in concentration.

David sat by the door frame, his arm crudely bandaged, gun in hand.

After a few minutes the first level was complete. Chloe looked at the lines of code recognizing familiar encryptions and paused. She had been prepared for a gruesome cryptic puzzle, a challenge, something to flex her hacker muscles with. Instead she was faced with a program she knew intimately. She had created it.

"David…" she began, "I'm through. I think you should know… I created this security program."

David looked at her and his eyebrows rose in surprise. "Really? I mean, that's good right? You can just access the information we need with your signature backdoor."

Chloe turned her head quickly around at him. "Yeah, but how did you know about that?"

David looked at her knowingly. "Come on, Chloe. Every program you ever created you left a backdoor in that only you could access. You always liked having that just-in-case entry that only you knew about. It was your thing."

Chloe huffed, annoyed that she could have become so predictable and that this man would still remember any of her unique quirks and mannerisms. She thought he would have forgotten everything by now.

She turned back to the screen, recognizing one of the many programs she created for private industries. The access path she had constructed within the code was one only she knew how to navigate and could not be detected or traced afterward. The idea that she was the only one with this unlimited access to Paragon resonated within her and she slowly began typing at the keys again.

* * *

**1:52**

Curtis was not comfortable with what he was ordered to do. There was no way around a direct order from Division and if it was for the good of CTU then it had to be done.

He couldn't help but think what a mistake it had been for Division to re-instate Jack as Director in the first place, considering what a loose cannon he had proved to be time and time again. Jack had just been through too much. His loyalty to CTU had become questionable. Jack was just too concerned with personal matters to pay attention to the details for the good of all.

Curtis only hoped that when he informed Jack that he would be assuming temporary control over CTU for this mission as Director, that he would not put up much of a fight. Memories of Jack choking him out of consciousness plummeted to the front of his mind.

This was not going to be easy.

* * *

**1:58**

Chloe paused from the remote station she worked at to peer behind her at David. He sat, engrossed in the screen, waiting for the scan to complete. His face filled with raw anticipation at the prospect of access.

He murmured, distractedly, "Chloe, I swear after this over I'll –"

The laptop crashing into his skull prevented him from finishing the endearing promise.

Chloe sprinted as fast as she could out of the warehouse.

**2:00:00**


	5. Hour 05

**

* * *

****2:01 PM**

Chloe stumbled slightly when she rounded the corner, changing direction from the street that held the warehouse. Determined to find civilization in the dilapidated neighborhood, she soon found a shipping company with gates opened. She entered their warehouse without invitation and saw a man working near by.

"Sir, can I please borrow your cell phone," she managed to pant out between labored breaths.

"What," he snapped with annoyance. "No."

"It's an emergency!" she exclaimed in disbelief at his rudeness. He snorted and began to move on but she spotted his cell buckled to his waist. Her hand snatched it quickly and as he turned to retrieve it, she hurried off with a cranky, "I'll bring it right back!"

Her fingers moved in a familiar pattern over the keys even though she had not called the number in years. She rushed outside, in search of a private area, as the phone began to ring.

* * *

**2:05 PM**

Jack stood to inspect the increased activity downstairs throughout CTU. Something was happening, he just didn't know what yet. His cell phone jarred him to attention and he answered instantly. "Bauer."

"Jack, it's me!"

"Chloe," he breathed, now intently focused with a sense of urgency. "Where are you? What happened?"

"I'm at the Port of L.A. I think I saw a street sign that said W Pier D St."

"Are you okay?" he instinctively asked.

Chloe crouched against the brick wall, safe in the enclosing alleyway. "I'm fine," she realized she was relieved to say. "I didn't do anything though, Jack."

"I know. We have to get you here as soon as possible," he began calculating a plan. The knock at his door alerted him to Curtis' presence, however. The glass walls revealed his every move to the agent, forcing him to motion the man in after telling Chloe, "Stay on the line."

Curtis entered as Jack placed the phone to his shoulder, as if to conceal their conversation. "What is it, Curtis?"

"It's urgent, Jack," he answered, glancing at the cell phone.

Before he could dismiss any thing as more urgent than his call, two armed CTU guards appeared at both sides of Curtis.

"What is this?" Jack hissed.

"I'm sorry, Jack," Curtis replied, sincerely. "It's orders."

"From who?"

Curtis didn't have to answer, for it ascended the stairs to Jack's office and appeared in his doorway. "Hang up the phone, Mr. Bauer," Director Weston instructed.

Jack slowly flipped the device closed, cutting the connection, as he scowled at the division director. The man had it in for Jack the day he was appointed but had yet to find a reasonable excuse to be rid of him. Today looked like his lucky day.

"You've ignored protocol and have allowed a terrorist suspect to go without pursuit-"

"That's bullshit," Jack snapped. "You're going to use this to get me out, Weston? You've been waiting since you started for one little thing to come along to declare me unfit for this position."

"No, Jack," he hummed with a smug satisfaction. "You've always been unfit. Now I just have ammunition." Jack sneered aside, thinking for the hundredth time in his life that he didn't have time for this. "For the record," Weston continued, "Your negligent mismanaging of CTU has caused the lives lost of one civilian and who knows how many others in David Emerson's wake because you refuse to pursue him and his wife."

Jack restrained himself as long as possible but could not contain the mutter, "Ex-wife."

Weston's eyes smiled at the comment – the precise response of a person prejudiced so wholly by their personal feelings - and replied, "Exactly." He held Jack's cold stare while he continued. "Agent Manning will take over operational control of CTU for the time being. You are on probation, Mr. Bauer, until further notice."

Jack rounded the desk, wanting out of the office as quickly as possible. While his position was one he worked hard for, it was not more important than Chloe's safety which dominated his thoughts in the immediate.

When he came shoulder to shoulder with Weston near the doorway, the division director offered a parting note. "Your access to CTU is likewise suspended, Jack."

He set off, not giving Weston the satisfaction of a reaction.

* * *

**2:11 AM**

Chloe calmed herself and tried to think clearly.

He hung up on her. Surely it was for a good reason but still. She was alone. She returned to what he said – that she had to get to CTU – and decided on her plan.

Chloe left the alley, finding the main road. It was deserted for a long while and she considered using the stolen cell phone in her pocket to call a cab until a car appeared around the corner. The dark vehicle neared and she hesitated before stepping into the road, waving it down. It stopped before her and the glare of the sun off the windshield temporarily blinded her. Her hand rose over her brow to screen the light but she could not make out the driver. With little choice, she rounded the hood of the car and peered in through the passenger window which lowered.

The middle aged man in his short sleeved button down looked over her and adjusted his glasses. "Are you all right?" he asked at the state of her.

"No, I need a ride downtown. It's an emergency."

"Okay," he trailed, unlocking the door. Chloe climbed in the air conditioned car, thankful to be out of the dead heat and the man started off. "Do you want me to call the police? I have a cell-"

"No, I already talked to them," she lied. Without a doubt there was an APB out on her and involving the LAPD would just complicate things. "I'm going to them now."

The man nodded and she found herself finally relaxing in the comfort of the car. She had been running for hours and there was a moment she could rest at last.

Chloe noticed only out of the corner of her eye the approaching car from the side before it slammed into theirs, T boning the vehicle. The collision quaked through her and she crashed against the door, her shoulder and body taking the brunt of the hit.

She lay crumpled against the door after the vehicle finally came to a halt and the other car had dislodged itself from them. An unnatural silence filled the interior, save the creaks accompanying it's now disfigured shape. She vaguely recognized the light sound of footsteps before a body appeared in the driver side window, now destroyed from the impact. Her eyes slid over to see the man behind the wheel inching to movement until two shots landed directly in his chest. Her shuddering nerves threatened to shake her entirely and she watched as the outsider leaned down to peek in the window.

"Where you going, Chloe?" David asked simply.

* * *

**2:35 PM**

David's hand gripped Chloe's arm as he walked them into his warehouse, the gun barrel digging directly into her side.

"Did you talk to anyone?" he started.

She hesitated then lied, "No."

He seemed to snicker a little and replied, "How about we quit fucking around, Chloe. Who did you call?"

"I told you I didn't," she disputed with irritation.

"It won't matter," he hummed then gave her a humored smile, pushing her into the seat behind the laptop. "Get me into Paragon."

"What do you want from there?"

"That's my business."

"Well, I'm going to have to know if you want me to get to it," she reasoned as though that much were obvious.

"I'll tell you once you're in," he clipped, clearly.

Chloe stared at the primed computer screen and resolutely answered, "No."

David leaned nearer to face her. "I'm sorry, I didn't catch that. It sounded like you said 'no' while there is a gun pointed at your head."

Chloe fought to maintain her calm and she took a slow breath to regain her courage. "What, you're going to shoot me, David? You need me to get into Paragon undetected, don't you?"

He kneeled next to her chair to be at eye level with her and she felt his hand suddenly glide along the back of her head, down the length of her hair softly. His quiet timber masked the intent of his words as he murmured, "There are worse things I can do than kill you, Chloe."

Her apprehensive gaze locked on the sincerity behind his own and she jumped at the sound of the warehouse door opening. He stood and nodded a greeting at the thugs that entered and spread about the complex.

"It's just my guys," he stated then glanced back down at her. "All right. Do you really want to start this?" She sat, stubbornly silent, and he went on. "First maybe your neighbor friend Kelly." Chloe's brow furrowed at the thought of her innocent neighbor hurt. He watched her reaction and continued. "Then a few co-workers maybe. Beth and Karl." David waited as she remained conflicted but unmoving. He delivered finally, "And then Helen."

Her head shot up at him in angry awe. "Leave my mother alone."

"Don't force me to take measures that don't have to be taken," he stated succinctly.

"How could you do something like that?" she questioned, realizing she didn't know who he was at all anymore. She wondered if she ever had.

"There are bigger things at stake now, Chloe," he replied. "Bigger than just one person."

Chloe stalled, recognizing his genuine drive. "What do you want from Paragon? What did you find when you were undercover there?"

"What are you, bugged?" he snidely remarked with annoyance. "This isn't a Q&A. You get me in and then I tell you where to go."

A noise from outside the office drew his attention suddenly and they fell into silence. Chloe observed the open area and the stillness made her uneasy. She saw David reach for the com device on the desk, speaking into it, "Roof position, respond."

"Roof here," the line spoke back.

"Position two and three, respond," he continued.

The quiet continued and he snapped the safety off the gun, tossing the talkie down. "Get up," he ordered. "And grab the laptop."

She did as instructed and he clutched her arm, leading her out before him. She gasped when his grip tightened painfully and he snarled, "Who did you call?"

"Emerson!" His shout broke the silence and David whirled the two about to face the man whose own gun was pointed at him. A small whimper escaped Chloe at the blessed sight of Jack, poised and ready. David edged further behind Chloe so very little of him stayed exposed.

"Let her go!" Jack barked.

"Can't do that," he replied, matter-of-factly. "So one of two things is going to happen: you're going to let us go or you're going to make me shoot her."

"Jack-" Chloe started, desperate to tell him David's threats – against her any way – were empty. He needed her. But he jerked her to silence, moving the gun from her back to her temple and causing Jack to grimace furiously as he snapped the safety off his own pistol.

David studied the man glancing slightly at Chloe before speaking. "So we're on a first name basis, are we?"

"Just give up. It's over," she insisted. She knew what Jack was capable of. David didn't.

"That's another reason our marriage failed, Chloe," he mused, watching Jack's bothered reaction to the mention of their union. "You never gave me credit. You always underestimated me."

Chloe suddenly caught sight of the second floor balcony and his roof man appearing with rifle in hand. She yelled, "Jack!" to warn him and his attention was drawn away when the thug opened fire.

David hauled her toward the door with him as Jack turned up, aiming precisely and hitting the man in the chest. He started after the two but stopped with their proximity to the exit and called out, "Chloe!"

She instinctively ducked to the ground when he alerted her and he took aim at David who followed her lead, crouching down and firing back at the open target. Jack hesitated; he was too close to Chloe; and he took nearby cover. She took the off-balance opportunity to thrash at David, inadvertently knocking his gun aside. He scrambled for the weapon as she scooted away. Jack found his break and rushed to David whose hand finally gripped the pistol and began to face him from the ground.

Jack reached him before he was able to take aim, kicking the gun from his hand. David swept a leg out, catching Jack's with a hard knock causing him to stumble to the floor. He released his gun and held David to the ground with one hand as he delivered a solid blow to the head with the other.

David fell unconscious but sudden gun fire brought Jack to immediate attention again. He discovered David's other men he hadn't unearthed firing on them and he surged to his feet, clutching Chloe's hand with a quick, "Come on!" as they raced to his truck.

* * *

**2:54 PM**

Jack's hands gripped the steering wheel and he contained the urge to press harder on the gas pedal. Calming himself for a moment, he glanced aside at Chloe in the passenger side. Her eyes were locked on the dashboard and a strange expression of anxiousness painted her face.

"Are you sure you're okay?" he asked, doing a visual once over just to make sure.

"Yeah, I'm fine," she stated, easily enough.

He watched her remain, however, and he stayed unconvinced. He breathed lightly, "Hey," and reached for her, setting his hand on her forearm. When his fingers softly held onto her, she seized his hand, frantic for some solid ground. He returned the grasp, finding himself more relieved than he realized.

They released the contact soon after, at the moment when it becomes more than a comforting touch.

"Did he do anything to you?" he started.

"No. He wouldn't," she replied.

"What do you mean?"

"He's trying to get into Paragon."

"The weapons manufacturer, we know."

"He needs me to get him in. The program that they're using at their highest level of security is mine. I created it," she explained.

"I didn't know you did that."

"It was something I did in my spare time," she said, defensively. "For some extra money. I sold them to commercial companies that needed a heightened security encryption. They're almost impossible to get into."

"But you can get into it," Jack followed.

"Any good hacker with the right equipment – like the systems CTU has – could get into it. But none of them could get in, undetected, and configure the program from inside, leaving no traces behind."

"How can you be the only one that can do that?"

Chloe hesitated, knowing she was on ethically shaky ground. "Because I built a backdoor into the program that allows me to do that."

"Why would you build a backdoor?" Jack wondered, legitimately.

"It's a programmer thing, okay?" she snapped. "It's just something you do when you create something. It's like a signature. Your mark."

"But this backdoor would give you access to all the information and the ability to manipulate it of whoever has bought your program; all of their confidential data that they've paid you to protect," he said and she was stung slightly by his disapproving tone.

"I've never actually used it," she supplied to which he sighed.

"And now Emerson wants in."

"Yeah. He knows he can't hurt me, though, so he's threatened my friends and family," she answered in disgust.

Jack remembered suddenly the news he dreaded to tell her. Making a decision, he pulled his SUV over, onto a secluded side street and stopped the truck. Chloe waited in confusion and asked, "Jack?"

He met her eyes and his own revealed an upset certainty that twisted her stomach with fear. "Chloe, it's your mother. They found her this morning… She was killed."

Jack couldn't tell if she was breathing or not but the shocked look on her face indicated she heard him. Her eyes turned away from him and he saw her struggle to understand.

"Are you sure," she whispered, now visibly shuddering. Jack nodded lightly and her balled hands hid her mouth as she slowly curled into herself. Her eyes shut so tightly, the gathering tears could not fall but instead covered her face in a cold mask. Her hands concealed her completely as she gasped for air but restrained a cry.

Jack edged nearer, pulling her to him across the seat. She moved into him like gravity, burying her face in his chest and his arms encircled her shaking form, lightly holding her head to him.

They remained silent as she soundlessly wept against him and he momentarily wished she would cry out. Yet he knew she never would.

**3:00:00**

**…**


	6. Hour 06

* * *

**3:00:00**

Chloe sat staring out of the car window. There was an uncomfortable silence as Jack drove on. The thoughts that had been tumultuously rioting in her brain came to a halt and everything blurred together. She felt nothing. She had become completely numb.

Jack glanced worriedly at her as he turned a corner.

"Chloe," he began, "I know this is hard for you, but we need to focus on stopping Emerson."

Chloe sat silent and unresponsive. Her face blank, no trace of emotion could be deciphered.

Jack tried again, hoping to emit some response. "Chloe, this is important. We can't let Emerson get those weapons from Paragon."

She sighed deeply and grumbled, "He's not after the weapons. I'm sure it's something else. Why don't we just go to CTU? I don't care if they arrest me. I didn't do anything wrong."

The car came to a sudden stop, causing Chloe to be jolted back into her seat.

"I'm not going to let them arrest you, Chloe." Jack said, "We have to do this ourselves."

Chloe gave Jack an annoyed look and said, "Why? If CTU already knows he's trying to get into Paragon let them deal with it. I just want to get all of this behind me and pick up the pieces."

"You don't understand." Jack pleaded, "There's a site not far from here that was linked to Emerson. It suggests that he might be using it as a storage point once the weapons are secured from Paragon. Emerson already has you involved. There has to be something specific he wanted you to do."

"Jack, I don't really know what he wanted me to do besides get through the security programming. I don't think he would need me to do that if he was after weapons." Chloe argued.

"Besides, I know him," she continued "He wouldn't know what to do with them once he had them anyways. There must be something else. I mean I was married to the guy, I think I would know."

Jack flinched momentarily at the mention David and Chloe's marriage. He was certain Emerson's objective was to obtain the weapons from Paragon. The evidence was too great to ignore. The storage site had to be investigated.

"Come on, Chloe," Jack said, "We have to switch cars. This one might be bugged with a tracking device."

Chloe exited the car without question and followed Jack down the street to a nearby parking lot. He found a black Monte Carlo and tried the door handle. Finding that it was locked, he picked the door lock quickly and entered. Chloe followed looking around nervously as she entered the vehicle.

"I don't think this is such a good idea." Chloe stammered.

The engine came to life and Jack put the car in drive.

* * *

**3:32 PM**

The Monte Carlo drove down the dirt road at a casual speed and parked at a turn out point far away from the building in question, trees shrouding their car from prying eyes. Large trucks could be seen parked outside of the facility and a few men were working around them.

Jack exited the car and walked to the other side, opening Chloe's door for her to exit as well. After a moment of hesitation she slid out of the passengers side, standing up and crossing her arms in confusion.

"We have to get closer," Jack said while reaching into his bag pulling out a pistol and some spare ammunition, "we have to find proof that Emerson is planning to store the weapons here."

Chloe looked off in the distance at the multiple trucks and large storage building. She was sure that David would not be after weapons of mass destruction but it was unclear why he would have all of this if it wasn't true.

"I can't go with you," Chloe said, "why can't I just wait here for you?"

Jack placed his hand on Chloe's shoulder and explained, "You need to stay close. I don't want to have to worry if you're safe while I'm out there."

Chloe felt more than a little awkward at the mention of Jack protecting her and worrying over her safety. She was acutely aware of his hand on her shoulder and the instant security that gesture alone could provide her. She pushed the thought to the back of her mind and nodded, mentally trying to prepare herself for any kind of danger that they might face.

* * *

**3:46 PM**

Jack and Chloe leaned next to a truck parked farthest away from the main building. Now that they were closer, they could see the building was a large storage facility.

Jack motioned Chloe to follow him as he stealthily crept along the side of the truck to the next truck closer to the building, his pistol gripped securely in both hands. They could see a few men unloading some crates for a forklift to retrieve directly next to them. Two guards stood behind the men holding large machine guns.

Chloe gave Jack a panicked look and edged closer to him. After scanning the surroundings he found a route to the building that would keep them unseen. They moved quickly and managed to sneak past the guards and laborers.

They moved quickly along the building heading for the side entrance. Jack halted suddenly and ducked beside a pile of equipment pulling Chloe down with him. He had spotted another guard near the door coming out of the woods.

Jack waited for the guard to get closer. The man was only a few feet away and facing them. As soon as the man turned, Jack rose quietly placing the man's head between his hands and jerked it to the side, snapping the neck in one swift hard motion.

Jack eased the body of the guard down to the ground and dragged it to the side of the building where he and Chloe were hiding. She had seen Jack kill before but it was still shocking.

"Let's go." Jack said to her hurrying to get inside the building.

* * *

**3:52 PM**

The inside of the building was filled with crates of varying sizes and a space was cleared in the middle ready to receive more of whatever was being stored there.

Jack looked around searching for something to open one of the crates. He found a crowbar lying next to an already open, empty crate and wedged it beneath the lid of a concealed one.

Chloe looked around at massive complex, filled with identical boxes. The foundation of her belief that David was not interested in weapons began to grow shaky.

One heave with the crowbar and Jack had managed to open one of the smaller crates. He shoved the lid off and he and Chloe peered inside.

The crate was full of C4.

Every thought Chloe had that David's objective was not based on destruction flew from her mind.

"Oh my God," she said in surprise.

* * *

**3:56 PM**

David sat on a chair next to the ravaged desk. He rubbed his jaw, still throbbing with pain. One of his men appeared in the doorway, promptly and he glanced up. "Sir, we have word that Jack Bauer and Chloe O'Brian are at the storage facility."

David sighed heavily and his expression cleared. "Good."

Allhis pain was forgotten.

**4:00:00**


	7. Hour 07

**

* * *

**

**4:01 PM**

"Jack, what now?" Chloe breathed.

He extracted his cell phone and hit at the buttons, glancing around to be sure they were still alone.

"Who are you calling?" she murmured, distantly.

"CTU."

Chloe hesitated in confusion. He had just told her they couldn't be bothered by CTUs protocols if they wanted to stop David's plan and now he was contacting them? She remained silent, though, certain that Jack's reasoning must be sound.

"Manning here," Curtis answered his personal phone.

"Curtis, I'm at a storage facility just outside of the Port of L.A. Emerson has crates of C-4 here; you need to send a team down in case he sends reinforcements."

"Jack, what the hell are you doing? Weston told you to go home."

"I can't. Not yet. Just get someone down here, now." He snapped the phone shut and took Chloe's arm in hand, leading her away from the dangerous explosives. "Come on; we need to be gone when they get here."

"Where are we going?"

"I don't know yet," he admitted. His cell phone rang to life and he exhaled, annoyed at Curtis' persistence. With a curt, "Yeah?" he answered but slowed when the other voice responded.

"Director Bauer," David greeted. "I had no idea CTU was so hands-on that they would send the director himself into the field on a mission."

Chloe watched Jack stop in his tracks and his face hardened. She questioned, "Who is it?"

He glanced at her but remained silent when David continued. "No, this must be something else entirely."

"What do you want?" Jack snapped.

"I want what you took from me," he murmured calmly yet Jack sensed the underlying hostility in his tone.

"You're never going to touch her again." The emotional growl brought a satisfied smile to David's face.

"So this IS personal. To be honest, I didn't really think she was many people's type. I didn't anticipate a boyfriend."

Jack felt he should correct him – it wasn't wise to further aggravate a man who may be in possession of serious weapons - but his gut made him remain silent.

"But I think the odds are in my favor. Looking at your track record, I mean. Widowed, closest friends murdered, even your last girlfriend was killed. You're not very good at protecting people, Jack."

"Try me."

"Jack?" Chloe whispered, urging him to keep moving but David's steady tone drew his attention again.

"Do you think you can stop me from getting to Chloe again? And once I get her, do you know what I'm going to do to her?"

"When this is over, you son of a bitch, you're going to regret ever meeting me. I'm through letting CTU run their investigation on you; I'm coming after you myself."

A shot suddenly rang out and Jack whirled towards its direction, drawing his own pistol. It allowed his back to face the entrance, however, and a heavy blow to the head came from behind him.

"Jack!" Chloe yelled when she saw him sink to his knees from the surprise attack.

David snapped the safety off his gun as he stood in the entrance and he aimed at the back of Jack's head, admitting, "This was easier than I thought it would be."

Jack's elbow flew back into David's stomach and he shoved at his arms, knocking the gun away. He lurched up in a dizzy and held David's shoulders as he propelled his knee into the man's middle. David doubled over but effectively punched at Jack's chest, disengaging the two.

When he realized he had stumbled near Chloe, he snatched her promptly and from his waistband a knife suddenly appeared. Jack froze at the sight of a blade to Chloe's throat, David wobbling unsteadily behind her.

"David, what are you doing?" she snapped angrily.

"Chloe, sweetheart, you know I normally love your quirks but right now, shut up!"

"You're not going to hurt me," she stated as a matter-of-fact, despite the sharpness at her collar. "You need me."

"Let her go!" Jack yelled, wishing his gun had not slid away during the scuffle.

"Chloe, I do need you," David breathed, still watching Jack before he firmly kissed at her temple. He gazed at her unfocused profile and finished, "I just don't need you conscious right now."

"No!" Jack could not contain the exclamation or the visuals that sprung in his mind at the thought of David hurting her.

"Jack, you either let us walk out of here, or you make me do something to Chloe."

"You sick bastard," he muttered, furiously.

"Sticks and stones," David hummed then shifted the knife to the side of her back. "Get away from the door."

Jack hesitated in indecision and Chloe spoke. "Don't, Jack; he won't hurt me." David's eyes remained tightly on Jack's own while he threateningly pressed the knife harder. The shocked yelp from her clenched Jack's fists and he understood more about David Emerson than Chloe ever had.

"Back away," David instructed, recognizing Jack understood exactly what he was capable of. Something forced Jack to remain, however, and he regretted it the moment he saw David's eyes change, knowing his bluff was called.

The actual sound of the knife driving into her flesh was minimal but her shriek was almost tangible.

"Chloe!" Jack screamed as she fell to her knees, the agony explicit in every cry. He moved without thought, charging at David. His powerful right connected with his face and though he wanted to beat the man into the ground, the sight of blood gathering on Chloe's shirt as she trembled and whimpered brought him to a dead stop.

He breathed her name as he knelt next to her but David's movement out of the corner of his eye grabbed his attention. Jack spotted his missing weapon and snatched it up. He discovered David also set on obtaining his own gun but an opportunity presented itself and Jack aimed. A direct hit at the fire extinguisher near David caused an immediate explosion, knocking the man into the wall. His body crumbled to the ground.

Jack restrained his curse; Emerson was no good dead and CTU was on its way. They would deal with him.

His concentration returned to Chloe as he carefully helped her to stand and hurry to the car.

Once inside, he sped out, desperate to stop her cries of pain. She took in deep breaths to calm herself enough to speak. "Where are we going?"

"The hospital," he replied as though that were obvious.

"No! CTU still thinks I'm working with David; they'll have the hospitals monitored. They'll just take me into custody."

"We'll explain it to them, Chloe; this is too important. You're seriously wounded!"

"No, Jack!"

He pounded at the steering wheel, wishing she didn't think like him so much sometimes. If they were going to stop David, they couldn't do that with her in custody. Then again, in her condition, maybe their pursuit was already over. With a side glance, he watched her rock forward gently and the blot on the seat cushion indicated just how much blood she was losing. She was trying to hold it in and not cry out but the muted pangs in her voice were almost worse because he knew she was doing it for him.

Jack pulled into the first motel he found safe enough and promptly ushered her into a rented room. She settled on the bed carefully as he returned quickly with the front desk's First Aid kit.

Chloe hugged herself tightly, trying to focus on anything other than the pain streaking from that puncture in her back. She decided on Jack to focus on. He threw the kit on the bed and she watched his lithe hands coerce it open and tear at the bandages. When he glanced at her, he looked away almost immediately.

"Can you take your shirt off or do you need me to-"

"No, I can," she murmured, wondering how she was lucky enough to add embarrassment on to the bill of her current suffering.

He helped her any way when it appeared she could not shift one direction. Jack slipped the sleeve down and tossed the light sweater aside. Her trembling arms came, self-consciously, around her, shielding as much as she could of her bareness. He noticed the simplicity of her bra before he forced himself to settle behind her to inspect the wound. When he applied pressure to the cut, she hissed and jolted upright.

His free hand steadied her, resting at her other side as he murmured, "I know. I just have to clean it before we can wrap it."

She took slow breaths, realizing his calm, low voice actually eased her nerves. "I didn't think he would really do it."

Zeroing in on David's handiwork, he admitted to himself it was not a wound meant to kill; if he wanted to inflict maximum damage, he would have cut her open. A stab was easier to close and heal. Though Chloe thought David meant her real harm, Jack knew it was an empty threat.

He smoothed a damp cloth down her skin and noticed the bleeding already slowed. Chloe's sharp pain had faded to a dull ache while he cleaned the injury. Or maybe her mind just perceived it as less because her thoughts intentionally focused on a distraction – his hands – instead. The left hand, not yet busy with dressing, stayed positioned at her other side and she distinctly felt every pad of his fingers pressed into her. She mused that Jack had never touched her this long before. The fact that she collected the amount of times Jack had touched her in her memory drew a furrowed brow of mortification to her face and she hid her reddening self. He was trying to help her and she was marveling at the sensation of his palm on her naked skin.

"Okay, I'm going to wrap it," Jack murmured, careful to not break the quiet of the room. "How are you doing?"

"Okay," she admitted.

"We might be able to find some pain killers," his thoughts wandered as he rolled out the gauze.

"That's okay."

Jack looked up at her finally, facing her back. He knew she was trying to be strong in front of him and it simultaneously made him ashamed of himself and proud of her. His eyes fell to her nearly naked back and he realized he wanted to splay his hand across it; make sure she was real and solid next to him.

Mentally shaking himself, he continued, wrapping the bandage around her midriff. She stiffened lightly when his fingers traced about her stomach and she waited with anticipation at where he would accidentally touch next. The silence finally got to her and she had to fill it with something; the unspoken between them – that which they thrived on for the past several years – was not enough any longer.

"Thank you, Jack," she stated suddenly. He slowed and she tacked on, "For coming to get me."

He paused, uncomfortable with appreciation, and he breathed only, "Yeah."

"I mean, you took a lot of risks," she went on. They were opposite in that regard: when she felt awkward, she rambled. He, on the other hand, shut down. "You could have just sent a unit out for me. But you didn't."

Jack made another round with the gauze and when she said it out loud, he understood a fact that she probably wasn't even making. He hadn't sent anyone out for her. He dropped everything and he hadn't even thought twice about it.

"You needed help," he vocally shrugged.

"Yeah," she replied then turned her head to see him. "Thanks."

Jack held her eyes for a moment, seeing an emotional honesty there they rarely showed one another. He had to break that hold, his own expressive barometer long out of service, and responded, "Yeah."

Inspecting the final dressing, he adjusted it slightly asking, "How's that?"

"Fine."

Turning to a more comfortable seat on the edge of the bed, she realized her front was in full view and she crossed her arms before her as casually as possible. Jack's eyes unintentionally fell to the movement and, coincidentally, to her chest before he forced himself to look away.

"I'll go wash your sweater," he murmured.

"Jack?" He had started to stand until her voice stopped him and he faced her. "They're going to get him, right? I mean, you told CTU where he was and they're going to arrest him."

Despite her show of strength, she could not hide the waver in her voice and he responded, quiet but confidently. "They'll get him eventually. And I won't let him hurt you again."

He moved with a natural grace, mirroring the sentiment of his words with action: his hand smoothed her hair aside from her face and hesitated there, reassuring her with the permanence of his touch.

She wasn't breathing. She had stopped breathing at some point. It was when his eyes softened and his voice turned to some gentle timber she had only seen him use with those others. Not with her. Never with her.

After two blinks, he pulled away, as though realizing how intimate the contact was; how open and vulnerable he was. He stood, muttering, "I'll clean your sweater."

And Chloe inhaled.

**…**

**5:00:00**


End file.
